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The Myth and Folklore of the Tiger Zodiac
The Myth and Folklore of the Tiger Zodiac
Tiger ranks third in the Chinese zodiac, and is the “yin” in the thirteen places, so the “yin time” in the twelve o’clock in the day – from three to five in the morning is also called “tiger time”.
3-5 in the morning (ie “Yin Shi”). According to ancient books. At this time, the tiger is the most active, the most ferocious, and the most hurtful, because Yin Shi and the tiger are paired with each other.
In ancient times, there were lions and no tigers in the zodiac. Because the lion is too ferocious and has a bad reputation, the Jade Emperor, who is in charge of the zodiac, wants to remove the lion from the name, but he has to add an animal that controls the mountain forest. At this time, the Jade Emperor thought of the tiger guard in front of the temple.
The tiger guardian of the Tiangong used to be only an unknown animal on the ground. It became a warrior in the mountains and forests after learning eighteen martial arts such as grasping, fluttering, biting, frying, punching, jumping, folding and so on from the cat master. Anything it fights will be wounded if it doesn’t die. Since then, tigers have dominated the mountains and forests. Later, when the Jade Emperor heard that the tiger was extremely brave, he decreed that the tiger would go to heaven. After the tiger ascended to heaven, he fought against the Jade Emperor’s guards and won. Since then, the tiger has become the front guard of the Temple of Heaven.
Not long after knowing that, the birds and beasts on the ground began to act indiscriminately when they saw no one to control them. The fact of causing a disaster to the human world alarmed the earth god, and the earth god hurriedly reported it to the heavenly court, asking the Jade Emperor to send Tongyong Tianshen to quell the beasts. The Jade Emperor sent a tiger down to earth, and the tiger asked for a credit for each victory. The Jade Emperor only asked for peace in the world, and of course he complied with the tiger’s request.
When he came to the mortal world, the tiger learned that lions, bears and horses were the three most powerful animals at that time. It specifically challenges these three animals. Defeat lions, bears and horses with the bravery of tigers and superb martial arts. Other evil beasts fled and hid in the uninhabited forest wilderness. The world was filled with joy, thanking the tiger for his great service to the world.
Back in the sky, the Jade Emperor carved three horizontal lines on its front collar because of the tiger’s winning streak. Later, the world was harassed by the East Sea Turtle Monster again, and the earth was full of oceans. The shrimp soldiers and crabs will do evil in the world, and the tigers come to the mortal world again and kill the tortoise monsters. When the Jade Emperor was happy, he gave the tiger a great credit and added another vertical to the three horizontal lines on his forehead. So a striking “king” character now appears on the tiger’s forehead. Since then, the tiger has become the king of the beasts and is in charge of the beasts. Even today, the majestic “king” character can still be seen on the tiger’s forehead.
After the lion’s notoriety spread to the Heavenly Palace, the Jade Emperor decided to remove the zodiac title of the lion and replace the beast king tiger. Since then, the tiger has become the zodiac sign, and the lion has been relegated to the far south. Of course, the tiger also descended from the Jade Emperor’s front guard to the mortal world to keep the peace of the lower world forever. Today, there are also tiger talismans, tiger rings, tiger eagles and other anti-evil objects to eliminate disasters and avoid disasters. In rural areas, many people also like to wear tiger head hats and tiger head shoes for their children. For an order, this is not to seek auspiciousness and avoid evil, to be auspicious and safe.
The tiger is considered to be the protector of children. Newborns wash their bodies with tiger bone water to get rid of diseases. Children wear tiger head hats and tiger head shoes. In Shaanxi, the nephew Man Yue and Uncle Man Yue gave a yellow cloth tiger. When he entered the door, the tiger’s tail was broken, which means to lose the hardships. In Shanxi, the nephew’s uncle gave a tiger pillow on his birthday, which can also be used as a toy. On the Dragon Boat Festival, cloth tigers are also popular for children as toys, and cloth tigers need to highlight the bravery of tigers. In the Oroqen people of Northeast China, children wear tiger claws and teeth to ward off evil spirits.
“Painting tigers at the door”, taking the tiger as the door god to town house, has been popular since the Han Dynasty, and the earliest can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty. In the old days, it was popular in North China to hang the New Year’s picture “The God of the Tiger in the Town House” in the main hall.
Elephant Man Fighting Tiger originated in the Han Dynasty. Tigers played by humans fought with humans. After the Tang Dynasty, they were replaced by lion dances. The Hakka area still retains the custom of dancing tigers, which evolved from fighting tigers. Taiwan also has tiger dancing during temple celebrations or Mazu’s birthday. “Tiger Fighting with Bull” is a folk dance in Dongying. The main plot is divided into four parts: “Hungry Tigers Searching for Food”, “Tiger and Monkey Play”, “Shepherd Boys Raising Cattle” and “Ox Savior”, showing the ferocity of the tiger and the calmness of the oxen brave.
